WWE: 10 Superstars You Will Be Surprised Are 10 Year Company Veterans

7. Santino Marella

Anthony Carelli, better known as Santino Marella, has officially been signed to WWE since 2005. However, technically his first work with WWE happened in 2004 when he appeared as an enhancement act for the company. Marella quickly caused controversy after being signed to WWE in early 05. He was initially attached to WWE's developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling, under the guidance of Jim Cornette. Just a short time into this OVW run, Marella laughed during a segment with The Boogeyman, at a point when he was meant to act scared. What was Cornette's reaction to this? He shouted and slapped Marella of course! An incident which resulted in Cornette being sacked. Marella however found success. Paul Heyman came into OVW and pushed him strongly. Pretty soon it was time to debut on the main WWE roster, and in 2007 he won the Intercontinental title in his first ever appearance on WWE Raw. Known as the Milan Miracle, Santino was supposedly an Italian fan picked from the crowd. Over the next 7 years he has gone on to prove to be an adept in-ring worker with bags of charisma on the mic. His comedic value is probably the main reason he has never advanced to be anything more than a reliable mid card act, but Marella has still enjoyed various career highlights as both a face and a heel. Could he do another decade with WWE? I don't see why not. That rare mix of ability and charisma is an essential ingredient in the longevity of a pro wrestler €” he is very well liked backstage.